


Like a Rock Into Waking

by voleuse



Category: She-Hulk
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5473514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Your stomach twists; your teeth grind. And you love them for this.</em> <br/>Jennifer Walters is an <em>exponentially</em> awesome lawyer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a Rock Into Waking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rabbit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabbit/gifts).



> Set in between the issues of the 2004 and 2014 series.

**i. Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, & Holliway**

The press in the back are muttering--not loudly, but enough to bring a crinkle to Judge Chan's forehead. 

Jen keys _Now_ into her phone, hitting _send_ on her phone as she stands. "Actually, Your Honor, about that?" She glances at the opposing counsel; Richardson is entirely too smug. "We'd like to introduce new evidence to counter that claim."

Richardson leaps to her feet. "Objection! We haven't been notified of any--"

The doors in the back slam open, and when Whiz Kid skids to a stop just as Jen puts her hand out for the file she's holding. "It's just come to our attention." She tilts her head, and Whiz Kid hands a duplicate folder to Richardson. "I think you'll find that all in order. If I may?" Judge Chan nods, and Jen steps forward to hand him the folder. "The dates on the transmission indicate the mining began three days _before_ the permit allowed."

One of Richardson's clients--the Shi'ar magnate, not the contractor from Ecuador--harrumphs. Jen looks over her shoulder at Richardson and winks just long enough for it to be obvious.

*

"That was closer than I'd have liked." Jen slumps into her office chair and gratefully accepts the cup of coffee Andy offers her. "How do you always know, Andy?"

Andy scribbles on his board for a second, then turns it to face her. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

"Quantum time lag." Pug swipes the top issue from the stack of _Guardians of the Galaxy_ comics on her desk. "I never would have thought of that."

"I wouldn't have, either, and I've done my share of galactic jet-setting." Jen kicks her shoes off and wishes she could shift green already. "Who knew justice could come from a stack of comic books and a healthy sense of irony?"

Pug laughs, and she raises her coffee, tilting it in a toast. He smiles. "You know, now that we're done with the case, I was wondering if we could--"

An arm crashes through the wall next to the door, then withdraws. Sasha's face appears in the gap. "Sorry," she pants. "There's a shapeshifting thing at the, uh." Another crash sounds, and then glass tinkling. "You should probably come see," Sasha finishes, then turns and runs off.

Pug sighs and doffs his jacket. Jen stretches as she stands. "Great day," she remarks.

Jen's jacket rips as she shifts, and Andy scribbles. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

 

**ii. Paine & Luckberg**

After the fourth time Book asks her to "bend the rules a tiny bit" and break down a few very inconvenient doors, Jen decides a change is in order. She winnows down her casefiles to three: one patent for underwater excavation goggles that might be secretly magical (Dr. Strange was being pretty cagey about it), one noise complaint about an interdimensional portal that had opened up next to an Orange Julius, and the blue file.

Holliway reads through her letter of resignation, sighs, and then reads through it a second time. "I have to say, I'm very disappointed."

The doors to his office slam open. Or, rather, they crash open as a giant metal spider scuttles through them. Jen looks at the spider, then looks at Holliway.

"But not surprised, I suppose." He puts her letter down. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," Jen says, and remembers to take her jacket off before she shifts.

*

When she joins Paine & Luckberg, she stays green, because who doesn't like hearing gasps when you walk into a courtroom? She also, however, cherishes the pause after opposing counsel take a look at her and mutter, "She-Hulk? Seriously?"

Jen smirks, knowing exactly how sharp her smile can be. "Actually, I prefer to be called Ms. Walters." Then, she makes eye contact with the judge, making sure to inflect just the right amount of wry. "Unless you need me to do some smashing?"

She doesn't _need_ to charm the judge and jury in order to win her cases. It's just more fun that way.

 

**iii. Jennifer Walters, Esq. PLLC**

Judge Doble doesn't even blink when Hei Hei scampers up the aisle to hand Jen a manila folder. "New evidence, Ms. Walters?"

"No, Your Honor." Jen scans the document a second time before setting it down. "Just some notes from my office. My Kree is a little rusty."

Crozier, the opposing counsel, smiles tightly. "I'm just a girl from Michigan, Your Honor, but all this talk of 'relics' and 'powers' and, I'm sorry," she pivots on her heel to face Jen. "Creeps?"

"Kree," Jen corrects, rolling her eyes.

"Right, Kree." Crozier turns her hands palm-up. "My client just wants appropriate compensation for the loss of income after the defendant willfully--"

"Accidentally," Jen interrupts.

"--and thoughtlessly wreaked havoc in the plaza." Crozier smiles. "We're not saying Mr. Marcos is a monster--"

Jen snorts.

"--we just want him to be held accountable." Crozier folds her hands together as she returns to her chair. 

Judge Doble nods to Jen. "Ms. Walters?"

Jen pats Marcos's hand--or, well, claw--as she stands up. Then she paces across the aisle and smiles down at Crozier. 

After three seconds, Crozier's smile wobbles, and that's when Jen takes the sliver of blue crystal out of her pocket and tosses it carelessly into Crozier's lap.

*

Angie is typing when Jen strides back into the office. "Risky," she pronounces as Jen drops the files on her desk.

"Successful," Jen replies. 

Angie stops typing and looks up.

"Effective?" Jen tries.

Angie arches an eyebrow.

"Funny," Jen says. "Definitely, incredibly funny."

"Maria Hill is in your office," Angie responds. "Something about a break-in?"

Jen pulls the crystal out of her pocket and peers at it. "Um."

Angie plucks the phone out of its cradle. "I'll cancel the rest of your appointments."

*

At the end of the day, Jen scribbles a scoreboard onto her notes.

She-Hulk: 1  
Crozier: 0

She-Hulk: 1  
S.H.I.E.L.D.: _Pissed_

She pauses. Thinks. And adds one more with a smile.

Marcos: 1  
Assholes: 0

She presses her intercom button. "Hey, Angie? What do we have tomorrow?"

**Author's Note:**

> Title and summary adapted from [**Catherine Pierce**](https://catherinepierce.wordpress.com/)'s "Why You Love the Annoyances in Your Dreams."


End file.
